Legal Question in Credit and Debt Law in Pennsylvania
Unpaid Credit Card
I got a notice to appear for a Civil Action Hearing from a Credit card company I do not recall having an account with. The collection company said it was back in 2004. They confirmed it was mine by my ss number. They called and spoke to my wife (whos name does not appear on the account). Told her everything and tried to collect from her, (I did not think they could do this). My wife who is in the banking ind told me to request a signature card or something with my signature on it at the time of the hearing. What are my options? What should I do. The amount they are requesting is $8000.00
1 Answer from Attorneys
Re: Unpaid Credit Card
You are better served by taking an attorney with you to the Hearing. If it was for a 2004 debt it could be past the Statute of Limitations and the collection agency is trying to use the "charge off" date to get around it. The amount that they are requesting is the jurisdictional limit for a Magisterial District Justice and they may be limiting their claim to that amount because they feel it will get less scrutiny than if they filed it in County Court. There are probably other defenses as well.